Over the past few years, no desktop database has been nearly as innovative as Microsoft Access. The latest releaseknown as Access 95 or Access 7.0includes new database creation, replication, and performance analysis tools, while offering vastly improved ease of use.

Access 7.0's most striking feature is its new Table Analyzer Wizard, which parses imported flat-file data and then suggests a normalized, relational table structure. This helps users design simpler, more efficient databases and will introduce many novices to the concepts behind the relational database model. Novices will also enjoy Access 7.0's ability to create background joins from within a wizard; once you describe the query result you wish, the Wizard figures out which fields, tables, and joins are needed.

For more experienced users, Access 7.0 adds several query tools and a performance analyzer that suggests ways to speed up your database. It can tell you, for instance, where to add an index for the most efficient performance.

Replication has long been supported by server databases, but Access brings it to smaller settings. By exploiting hooks into the Windows 95's Briefcase feature, Access lets you easily replicate a database between any two machines, making it far easier to ensure that a copy of your data is current.

With improved ease of use, intuitive tools for building true relational databases from legacy flat files, and easy-to-use replication, Microsoft has extended Access appeal to neophytes and experienced database users.